Our Mission

The mission of the Rural Appalachian Improvement League, Inc. is to alleviate the root causes of poverty in southern West Virginia. RAIL achieves this mission by improving Education, fostering Economic Development, increasing community engagement, developing the community, developing environmental initiatives, and promoting the value of diversity for all Wyoming County and the immediate surrounding areas.

Our Vision

The 20-year vision of the Rural Appalachian Improvement League is to foster a community where southern West Virginians unite to encourage improvement of economic and social conditions, encourage development of sustainable agriculture and environmental practices, preserve historical and cultural sites, improve the quality of life for the whole region, increase the number of residents in the community engaged and organizing efforts for positive social change in an historically marginalized region. RAIL is combining a force of committed volunteers with other available resources to build a healthy and diversified community that is sustainable and independent from the coal industry.

Our Staff

Many of the people who have come to work for RAIL have been Americorps affliates. Some of which have been part of Americorps NCCC, contributing manual labor force to projects. Others have been Americorps*VISTAs, who have spent a great amounts of brain, and will power to organizing events. Currently, the VISTA's serving have been provided by The Appalachian Coal Country Watershed Team, in partnership with the Office of Surface Mining.

Click on the icon link below to stop by the ACCWT webpage, or click on the "RAIL Team" link under the "About Us" drop down to learn more!

Volunteers are a vital part of RAIL's success. We are SEEKING VOLUNTEERS! Please contact us if you want to make a difference and join our remarkable work teams.

In September 2010 RAIL volunteers began initiating a plan to invigorate Community and Economic development in the southern coalfields of West Virginia. In the past ten years RAIL has studied the needs of families in Appalachia as well as available resources and other accessible opportunities that can help their community become sustainable. Gaining a better understanding of what is needed has culminated in the Coal Heritage Trail of New Commerce Action Plan. Those implementing this plan, an organization at the grass roots, well understand their work cannot be successful without the help of volunteers and generous resources providers. Anyone interested in participating in this bold undertaking of helping families living in the Appalachian coalfields improve their economic and social conditions may contact mullensproject@aol.com for more information. RAIL gets its name from Rural Appalachian Improvement League, Inc. and can best be described as Volunteers coming together as an organization to find ways to best benefit their community